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Argyle (Red)
Mon-Wed. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Best place for roasted duck. You can get a full duck meal for $30 -- this is a rather large meal for one so I suggest sharing it with 2-3 (or maybe even 4!) people. It's a pretty good deal, no?
I'm actually considering having a Peking-styled Thanksgiving this year. We'll see. :)
So, clearly my first visit to Sun Wah was not the norm, as since then I have been the beneficiary of some amazing service and food...and my god, my duckgasm.
It's difficult to explain one's first time with the duck but I will try. Imagine a full duck, cooked to perfection being presented in front of you--but no, you are not to touch it yet! It is delicately and masterfully carved into perfectly sized pieces in front of you, and is paired with bao, vegetables and a variety of delicious sauces.
As soon as you begin to dig in, the remainder of the duck disappears, oh no! But don't worry--it will soon return in the form of amazing duck fried rice and soup!
And the price? Completely reasonable. Pair that with the shocking amount of (great) food you get...Sun Wah can't be beat for a quality duck experience that you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere in the city.
A Preface: This review will include no talk of rats or cleanliness. With that out of the way,… Read more »
Today is a lucky day for you yelpers out there...the bubby is here to give his two cents. We had a fantastic date night this evening, starting at Sun Wah. We ordered the Peking Duck dinner (not on the menu) which consisted of 3 duck focused courses: soup, fried rice, and bao rolls. We were especially thrilled with the presentation: A "specialized cutter" rolls out the duck to remove the skin and meticulously slice chunks of duck meat for the bao stuffing. They then remove the body of the duck and send it back to the kitchen where it is prepared for the soup and fried rice courses:
Bubby: This being the first time I have had peking duck I was very impressed. The meat was succulent and extremely tasty, but the real treat was the skin. Mix in the plum sauce and some green onions on your bao (of which I could not stop eating) and you have a wonderful little sandwich. Don't forget to munch on the wings and legs, they're a dark meat lovers dream. And for the daring, the butt of the duck tastes better than it sounds so go a head and pop it in, it's worth the risk.
The bubby's always been an ass man...
So after reading and rereading the reviews of Sun Wah, I knew I had to go immediately. Well, after this week, the hubby and I needed to celebrate our successes so I told him we were coming here. I had talked it up to him for a while so he was intrigued as well.
We came. We ate. We conquered.
Words can not describe how succulent the duck was. The crisp, fatty skin dripping with the juices of the duck. The tender, moist meat tickled my taste buds as I ate. The buns with the radishes, scallions and carrots heightened the flavor of the meat. I pretty much devoured those. The soup with the left over duck and the duck fried rice came next. We gorged ourselves on the duck that we hardly made a dent in the other two dishes. We did try it and wow, everything was top notch. And the duo sorbet of mango and raspberry really rounded off our rich meal. Talk about getting three more meals out of it. Definitely worth the price tag of $32.
We thought coming here early on a Saturday would have been the best time. Although we had a great time chatting, we did have to wait over an hour for our duck and when the duck came, the woman who carved wanted to make sure our first time would be great. The way she was talking gave us the impression that she may have been an owner or one of the owners. We could tell the kitchen was slammed with orders of the Peking Duck. Needless to say, the long wait and the lack of service did not deter us from discussing when we would be coming back. And trust us, we will be back very soon!
Since i got word that Sun Wah reopened - I wanted to go and I finally got my chance on Sunday for lunch.
We arrived around 1pm w/ a party of 4 adults and 2 kids. You would think that w/ that many people - the host would place us in a good size table. Nope - we sat at a standard 4 seater towards the bathroom. Not exactly sure why they did that since there were 4 open round tables.
We were waited on pretty quickly - so we put in our order for the Peking Duck, BBQ Pork, roast pork, and broccoli and shrimp. Both pork dishes came rather quickly, then the shrimp. The BBQ pork was very tasty, and lean, but a little too lean for my liking. The roast pork was prefect - it came out warm - with just enough fat and skin that it complimented the meat. The broccoli shrimp was stir fried w/ garlic and was prefect for the kids that loved shrimp and broccoli.
Then we waited for the duck, and waited. When we noticed that another table that sat down after us got their duck, at that point my mom lost it and went straight to the front. What had happened was that the waiter forgot about it.
When the duck did finally arrive - it was absolutely delicious. The skin was crispy, and not dried out. While they don't do the pancakes, they do have little dinner rolls (anyone that has Peking Duck @ BBQ King in Chinatown will know what I'm talking about) - which my 1 year old devoured. The soup that comes w/ the duck was sweet and the family really liked the hint of cilantro. The last duck dish was the remaining meat was used to make a chow men, which was also very good.
Before we were ready to go, we also ordered carry out. Needless to say, we waited and waited... then mom had to run up front again. The next thing we see - the waitress running into the kitchen. They forgot again. From what we were told - they have yet to set up the computer system, so everything was done by hand.
For all those who has been to the old location knows exactly how small the place was. The new location is very large in comparison and open. While the place doesn't have much of a decor - it's VERY modern looking - exposed ducts and bricks walls gives the place a very chic feel w/out a pretentious meal or price.
Food: rated - fresh, and cooked to perfection. Lets hope they can keep it up.
Service: Horrible - but working on it. Like I said before, the previous space was small - you couldn't have 2 waiters working at the same time w/out stepping on each other. I believe that part of the problem is that they're not use to the space yet - it is just too big and they're just under staffed. I also believe that because were seated toward the back of the restaurant - we were forgotten. I actually saw a table get up and leave because the waiters ignored them for 10 minutes. Ill ask to be seated closer to the front next time.
I'll be back in a couple of weeks to see if there are any improvements - hopefully their computers will be up by then, and the staff is more familiar w/ the floor layout.
I finally made the trip up to Sun Wah...low and behold...on the (re)opening night! Having never been to the old location I can't compare, but the new digs are nice and big...a little bit of a flow issue though, perhaps? Trouble flagging down servers, but it was their first night in this new space. When you walk in, you see the glass kitchen and lovely bits n things hanging on hooks, tempting you with their shiny goodness.
Now, my chinese-speaking friend ordered for our table of four...so I don't know the exact names of what we were eating; I do know that it was damn good. Chicken and corn soup (with egg), steamed broccoli, a beef briskrt-esque stew with all the bits and bobs, a plate of bbq pork, and a half duck. I was a fan of everything, except maybe the beef entree - it was super heavy on the five spice. The pork was out of this world, the skin was SO crispy, it was like, well, extremely crunchy...mmm..porky crispy fatty salty goodness. The duck was amazing as well, as you probably already know. I knew it was going to be an inexpensive night, but when the bill came and read $37, I was uber happy.
Next time I go, I am going for the whole duck and all of the goodness that comes with it! YUM.
I was afraid the price may increased in proportion to Sun Wah's square footage, but thankfully that was not the case. Went in and was ushered by hostess to a table. Their wait staffs were very friendly but slightly disorganized so we had to flagged them down a couple times. But it didn't really bother me much. I really see that as a mark of an authentic Chinese restaurants...no, not really.
Anyways, back to the food. The Peking duck was tasty w/ its crispy skin and I enjoyed all the condiments that comes with the dish. Yum! Despite its modern decor, Sun Wah still offered all the authentic, delicious Chinese dishes they used to have. We would always get the Beef Ho Fan when we go there and I was glad to see the menu hasn't changed. The only thing I was sad about was that they ran out of the sorbet they give out at the end of the meal. I heard it was good. We walked out of the restaurant two very full women, already talking about when we're going to go back.
The restaurant relocated about 1.5 blocks north of where it previously was but is still owned by the same owner, and presumably the same management, so everything is the same food wise - DELICIOUS. Sun Wah is an exceptional nothside option instead of driving to Chinatown.
I went there this past Saturday and had the Peking Duck, which is "off the menu." It cost $32 and includes the whole duck carved in front of you whilst onlookers gaze in envy, a tasty duck soup and duck stir fried rice.
Aside from the lacking service the place was very good. It is about 3.5 times larger than the previous location. It is also has very new-age hip look equip with fancy fans that have tiny fans rotating on a chromed beam.
This place is amazing! I dream about the duck special in my sleep. Everyone here is so nice. There is nothing else I could ask for.
If you go, get the duck. All the veggies are amazing and the egg rolls are supreme. But you have enough food with just the duck to feed like 4 REALLY hungry people.
Now. Theis place is busy b/c it's amazing. If you want a good table, call ahead. People know this term as reservations. Trust me. I work in the industry. So, if you come on a real busy night, w/o a reservation, the host is going to put you any place that's open. And if you don't like it, you can always say something. Just be prepared to learn that they are reserved.
Also note. Duck takes a while to cook. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize a stir fry dish will come out faster than a roast duck
dish.
I have a frustration with people who are rude to industry workers, so please take all of my information to heart and be nice to the people who deal with your food. Trust me.
Oh, and their delicious food? They've been keeping it up for years now. Thanks!
The roasted duck is AWESOME. They also have a range of fairly authentic dishes. The new location is spacious and clean. There is something inherently fabulous about poking your head in to see a bunch of roasted ducks (and a pig) hanging on a rack and being carved to order. They lose one star for sometimes being a bit disorganized, though that may be due to the fact that they just moved from their previous location on Argyle. Highly recommended.
My all-time favorite restaurant in Chicagoland is back in business. New location, more spacious and same excellent Cantonese cooking. Quick and friendly service, and very affordable too! Came here for a quick dinner Saturday evening before work. Had my usual seafood soup (very satisfying!), roast pork (deliciously crispy skin), baby clams in black bean sauce, and steamed yu choy veggies. Everything tasted good! I always leave here with a full stomach and a happy face. :)
Can't wait to go back for that famous duck dinner which is an amazing dinner package in itself.
OMG, the duck!! The perfect moist duck with crispy greasy skin! Get in my belly, duck!!
You have to pre-order the duck, but it's worth it. The waiter carves the duck right in front of you and you get these little buns and accoutrement to make little duck sammies. I just wanted to eat all of the duck skin. (Yeah, I know that sounds gross. I'm a freak like that.)
I was not a huge fan of the little buns. They were a tad "dough-ey" for my tastes. We ordered the noodles instead of the rice as a side for our duck and they were tasty. The duck soup was YUUUUUMMMYYY!!! I wanted to slurp every last ounce of it!
I'm sad that they closed, but I've heard that they opened a new location. I can't wait for more duck!!
ATTENTION EVERYONE: THIS IS THE SAME RESTAURANT AS THE OLD LOCATION FROM 1134 W ARGYLE STREET.. JUST MOVED AROUND THE CORNER. SAME OWNERS!
In more kudos to the power and quality of Yelp users, I told the owner that I wanted to submit the restaurant to Check Please. She told me I would be banned if I did so, but to please submit a review to YELP! Can't argue with that. :)
I have been going to this restaurant since I was in diapers, so I am more than a bit biased when I say that this is probably my favorite restaurant in all of Chicago land. I love this restaurant so much that not even sampling restaurant after restaurant during my 1.5 years living in China could not deter me from missing it dearly.
They are Cantonese style, meaning you're going to find things you just wouldn't normally find in an Americanized restaurant. When you order a whole fish, the fish head is going to be staring at you. There is tripe on the menu. When you walk in the front door you will be greeted by several hanging barbecued animals. This is not a restaurant for the squeamish.
What they do serve is good old fashioned Cantonese comfort food in gigantic quantities for very reasonable prices. There hasn't been a dish I haven't loved coming from this place... and you'll be rolling out the door when you're done.
Everyone raves about the peking duck from this place. I do enjoy it and I think it's probably the only restaurant in the city that serves it up regularly. Having lived in Beijing, I do not believe this is up to par with that style, but then again they do it Cantonese style, so it's not meant to be the same anyway.
However, when I come here, I tend to order the fish and tofu casserole (I know... just try it. It's surprisingly delicious); the seafood noodle combination; the clams in black bean sauce; the bbq combination platter; any of the veggies... the soups... Oh.. I'm getting hungry again.
I will not repeat what has been said over and over yes the duck is an almost religious experience, no the service is not very personal or attentive, and yes they did move around the corner. I will say however the move was great, I love the new space its bright, sleek, and I love the exposed brick. Though I was always a fan of the specials on the paper plates adorning the walls of the former location...I didn't miss them. Glad to know they are doing so well and the food was not compromised in the upsize. Oh and they are still BYOB so score!
SUN WAH RE-OPENS 10/30/09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOTICE TO YELP - REMOVE "CLOSED" DESIGNATION!!!!!
Don't worry. Not closed! Moving to a huge space around the corner!!
Wait . . .what? CLOSED?!? Nooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh thanks gawd. I read John B's review, put away the knife and stopped my caterwauling. Whew!! They're only MOVING. Around the corner. This is good, SW BBQ will be about 50 feet closer to my apartment now.
WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN GOING HERE FOR THE LAST 13 YEARS? Oh yeah, I'd have been eating Peking Duck for… Read more »
This is another close place in the northside to get awesome roast duck among other Chinese BBQ delicacies.
When you first walk into Sun Wah...it looks like a butcher shop. The BBQ section where they chop the meats is right by the entrance of the restaurant, separated by another door that goes into the dining room.
Although it looks somewhat scary walking in, the BBQ makes up for it. The meat here is always seasoned well, and the roast duck is very tasty. This place does cost a few bucks more for their roasts, but I think it's worth it.
And sometimes, you may have to play charades with the staff here. Although they speak English, it is very poor. Nothing that some pointing and acting can't resolve! I just happen to be lucky enough to know Chinese to get my way :)
I will create a more in depth report later, but I just found out that Sun Wah is CLOSED on Thursdays! What is up with that? Thursday? That is the second busiest restaurant day of the week. Who closes on Thursday? OK, I know that lots of Chinese places are closed on Mondays, Thai, Pakistani and Indian places on Tuesdays and Kosher restaurants close on Friday night, but who closes on Thursday? I am shocked and appalled. OK, not appalled, but highly disappointed as this was where I was going to take a friend for dinner. I am whining, but seriously? Thursday?
Teacher: Who gave the Liberty Bell to Philadelphia?
Little Billy: Must have been a duck.
Teacher: A duck?
Little Billy: Didn't you say there was a quack in it!
Q: What do you get if you cross a duck with a firework?
A: A firequaker!
Ha ha ha, those jokes aside, welcome to this months episode of ...
3 Pickles, a Vajayjay, and Mr. Cucumber ethnic dining!
In this episode, this devilishly debonair (sometimes down right dirty) group decided to do duck (No, that's not "do" a duck Mr. pickle #3). We also decided to add a new member. His name shall be Mr. Suave for all intents and purposes. This group of six ventured into the unknown land of Argyle street (I say unknown because you never know what you'll end up eating there). Thank god we don't scare easily because the first thing you see is your dinner hanging by its neck, skinned and BBQ'd in the window. It only gets scarier as you walk in. The restaurant looks like the type of place you would expect a lot of bugs or shady guys who play Russian Roulette to hang around. The building is kind of falling down and it has greasy floors, but seriously don't be frightened, it will be all worth it in the end.
I have to give a lot of credit to the staff, they were hilarious and treated us very well to the point that you forgot about your surroundings. We all sat at a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle to pass around our delicious food. The menu is vast and waaaay too much to go over so I will just tell you what we had. But I will say that we saw a whole pig being carted off, I'm assuming to be roasted. First I have to say everything was excellent and we all left full and more then happy.
Veggie Fried Rice
Lo-Mein with Scallions and Ginger
Mushrooms in Sweet sauce (Not my favorite but Mr. Pickle #2 loved them)
Egg-Rolls (I would have liked them to be vegetarian but I'll survive because they were crispy and tasty)
Octopus Whiskers (Calamari)
But above all else if you order anything it has to be the Peking duck. Meat so succulent is melts in your mouth, the skin according to Ms. Vajayjay "was out of this world and she would kill for it". It was perfectly crispy and a flavor that you will never forget. You have to preorder it before you show up and the cost is $30 but you also get with it buns, your choice of rice or noodles (trust me go with the noodles), soup (made with leftover duck for flavor), and finally some watermelon and mango sorbet.
Thanks Mr. Pickle #1, perfect choice. Great conversation and great spirits as always, this group knows how to have fun. Now with that certain flavor of Mr. Suave, look out people.
Six very attractive people like to eat dinner together.
With my bottle of red in tow, I met this group at 7 pm on a Wednesday.
We were seated at a table meant for a large party - and it was topped with a lazy susan. Two bottles were open and one was chilling. You gotta love BYOB.
As far as atmosphere goes - its all about eating with your friends, not the ambience.
Enter super friendly waitress - who was well versed in what was in the food (and saved me from having pork broth on my lo-mein!)
We put our order in - of course the Peking Duck, with buns and noodles, and soup made from the leftovers from the carved duck.
Veggie Fried Rice
Lo-Mein with Scallions and Ginger
Mushrooms in Sweet sauce
EggRolls
Octopus Whiskers (which was basically calamari)
The food came out in such a nicely timed manner. Watching the duck be carved was even a fun experience for me. And it was deslish. Its served with a hoisin sauce, pickled something or another, and carrot strips).
The super yummy dinner was followed by a really deslish home made watermelon sorbet, and a mango sorbet.
Mind you, we brought our own wine - but actually made it out of there for less than $90 for all of that really filling and yum food.
You may read other reviews that mention a very attractive, friendly, and well spirited table. That would be us, and we say "You're welcome, we're glad we made your night even better..."
I would totally go back here again, plus its very close to home. Highly recommened for someone who hasn't had Peking Duck before!
Aah. There's that taste of home I've been looking for. A late Sunday lunch of wonton noodles with beef muscle, small bbq combination plate and bbq pork fried rice made my heart sing (and again at home once the leftovers were heated up for dinner tonight).
My advice? Come here with a big group of very hungry people, sit at a table with a lazy susan and order away. I'm totally recruiting (yes, you yelper!) There were TOO many things I wanted to eat and only enough room in my belly. Chinese food is meant to be shared! :)
Having lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, I ate Cantonese BBQ often. I was hoping a trip to Sun Wah… Read more »
To give you an idea how good the duck is here, I'm going to tell this story. We were told over the phone that we had a reservation for 8pm because they only seat people on the hour. We showed up at 8pm and ordered at about 8:10. We asked our waitress for a recommendation for something other than duck (to have in addition) and she suggested something.
After that, the waitress blatantly ignored us and even rolled her eyes as we tried to get her attention around 9pm to see what the hold up was. She refused to get us a working corkscrew for our wine, despite that the restaurant is BYOB. We did not get our first course of duck until about 9:15ish, and that was after other tables that had ordered after us got their first courses. Needless to say, we were starving. Overall, this was without a doubt the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant.
However, we will go back for one very important reason--the duck was fabulous. The crispy duck with the pancakes was mindblowing, the soup was delicious, and the duck fried rice was addictive. My advice for those who want to go here is to not start so late because you run the risk of waiting forever for the best duck I've had west of the Mississippi River.
I'm going to give 3.5 stars on the basis that I believe that they just moved into a much larger space and possibly haven't yet settled there. We ordered two ducks ahead of time, and the table was ready for us when we arrived. We didn't get a waiter to attend to us for around 15-20 minutes. We weren't the only ones looking for serving staff, and you could see other tables standing up, looking around, etc.
The food didn't come for another 45 minutes. We might as well have not ordered ahead of time at all, and we nearly missed the beginning of the play we were seeing afterward. In fact, a group of the same number who sat down after us got their food before us. They also ordered duck, and the serving staff actually carved it up right next to our table, when we'd been sitting there for quite some time without food. She also splattered someone at my table while cutting up the duck. Still it was fun to watch her carve the bird with so much efficiency and skill.
Finally, our duck arrived, and we had a different server who proceeded to do a hack job carving up the duck. Once we had the food, it was amazing! I haven't had such mouth watering duck in a while. Yum!
Wanted to see what the buzz was about. I was enthusiastic and ready for some great food.
Only to be disappointed at every aspect . First waited in line for 40 minutes, kept reminding them only to hear that they forgot about my party as i stood in front of the host stand with frequent reminders.
Chaotic host stand, chaotic service, was told only 3 wait staff for over 200 seats????? Pretty insane, especially if they moved from one location to another, without thought of service needs.
i wanted to like this place and help out our restauranteurs in this economy.
Service was not to be seen, and when present, they looked under the tables for seating numbers for identification, trying to figure out where to bring food. Chaos.
Duck looked good, and am sure was good, however, hard for me to return.
Food was otherwise mediocre, too much gravy in most dishes.
Two things
Thing One - I gave it 2 dollar signs because if you split the duck with someone it will be $15 each but the majority of the menu is under $10 per person which would be one dollar sign here is the problem I can't imagine getting anything but the duck...
Thing Two - I did not check that you can get reservations but I would call ahead and let them know how many ducks you need and when your coming to make sure there is duck to be had... I have never found myself duckless at Sun Wah but I have heard stories of said ducklessness...
I have found myself at Sun Wah on 4 occasions for the BBQ duck it is $30 for one whole duck dissected table side... They take this wonderfully roasted duck and turn it into a multi course duck parade... The duck is beyond savory, it is sooo juicy and so tender... if anything it is a little high on the sodium content and when I say a little high it has enough sodium to preserve a whole cow!
Here is the thing this should not be enjoyed daily or weekly this should be a once a month at most treat, drink lots of water to filter out all the salt, it also has the high fat content of a beautifully roasted chicharron (pork rind)...
You are wondering how it is I gave this place 5 stars with such staggering fat and salt content? The truth is just because something can cause a massive coronary on the spot does not mean it is bad oh contrar it is a spiritual experience!
They start out by sectioning off delicate duck medallions on to a plate these are served with these light fluffy rolls and an explosion of duck sandwich side items... You construct perfect little sandwiches to taste or just eat the perfect little duck cutlets as desired...
As you and your closest friends are wallowing in this duck delight they usher the remaining duck carcass away and in perfectly timed explosions the duck returns creatively prepared for every form of ideal consumption...
One huge bowl of Duck soup arrives and try but you will not finish this soup it is enough for many more then two... It is good it is hot and it is plentiful with hints of duck and moments of happiness through out!
Holy happiness is a pile of duck fried rice or stirred duck noodles the size of two heads batman! This duck fried rice is so addictive you may find your party consuming every last piece of rice but you also may regret eating that much rice remember rice only gets bigger in your stomach...
did I fail to mention that this all included endless wonderful pots of tea yes sip sip away and be happy everyday!
wait as if that was not all enough, here comes the in-house made-frozen fruit treat of the day; it could be a mango ice or perhaps peach sherbet whatever it is-they made it just to follow this duck...
two people can easily split this duck orgy... My friends are big eaters! Portion conscious calorie counters could do a sampling of this with 3 or 4 people... I have never tried to do it with more then 2 if we have 3 we get 2 if we have 5 we get three... again my friends and I have no self control...
try it... Sun Wah will leave you feeling just Ducky!
God this place is amazing. Their Peking Duck dinner is by far the best duck I've ever had. And I've eaten duck at the restaurant in central Beijing that China took the olympic committee to when bidding for the games... that was some good duck. This is better.
Basically, you call ahead and order the duck meal. And let me say it is a HUGE meal, it alone will feed 4 or 5 people. They carve the duck right in front of you, and you make little bao/sandwiches with buns, sauce, and some veggies they give you. It is like biting into a little piece of Heaven. The first time I tasted the combination I was floored, it is SO GOOD. Then, while you are enjoying the amazingness of the duck sandwiches, they use the rest of the duck to make duck soup and duck fried rice, also both amazing. And all for 30 bucks....... are they serious? Such a great deal.
They also have other great dishes too that are good as appetizers while you wait for your duck. I don't think it's on the menu, but ask for the pork stuffed tofu... it is awesome.
I also loved the service. The waitress I had the first time was really helpful and sarcastic/funny. Loved her! I think it is definitely a family run operation, as the waitress I had the second time definitely looked like her sister... anyway, THIS PLACE RULES!!
(See pic)
There is some serious BBQ food here! I had the BBQ pork and roasted duck soup noodles and they were very delicious-- so good that I also bought takeout after having a full stomach!
The service could be a bit slow but the people are very nice.
It's an invasion!
I was at Sun Wah today with my mom and brother, who were visiting from Michigan, and it was packed - oddly enough, with white people (they weren't scared by the ducks hanging in front?) who had made reservations (you can do that there?). I've been going to Sun Wah for years and had never seen it so full of white people - it's not the most well-decorated place, and it's certainly off the beaten path unless you're Asian to begin with. I'd also never seen anyone bring wine in there (apparently you can BYOB, another thing I'd never have guessed since they do carry a variety of bottled beers).
We found out from our server (who is one of the family members that owns the restaurant) that Sun Wah was featured in the Tribune for Peking duck. It was a good write up - no wonder so many people were there.
All joking aside, I'm glad that the best place to get roast duck in Chicago is getting some attention. Check it out, and try a few things you normally wouldn't - I've gone through a fair amount of the menu, which features fantastic, authentic dishes for an extremely reasonable price, and as far as I can tell, everything is good.
Sun Wah is my favorite place to get cheap, authentic Chinese food (I'm Chinese). My parents… Read more »
Contrary to the business heading, Sun Wah is not closed for good. This location is closed, but they are moving around the corner to 5041 N Broadway. They hope to reopen by the end of September.
A friend was telling me recently that one reason Americans don't eat more duck is that ducks have… Read more »
Yummy! I may have finally found my new favorite Chinese place in Chicago.
Considering I'd all but given up on finding good Chinese food north of Chinatown, this is a big deal.
I plan on going back to try more, but myself and two others shared the awesome Peking Duck Dinner ofr $30. I'm not a gigantic fan of duck, but this was hot, crispy and amazingly rich. It was dinner and a show since they come out and let you watch them carve it up.
The first course is the hot, sliced duck in soft buns with veggies and a sweet hoisin sauce. YUM! This was the favorite of my two dining companions. Then comes the duck/egg/daikon soup. I wasn't really impressed, but get that they have to cut corners somewhere if they're going to charge only $30 for the entire duck meal.
The duck fried rice was awesome, though and my favorite. I'm definitely going back for the fried rice, you can guarantee. It wasn't as greasy as most places are and had a great, basic chinese take-out done well feel about it.
We finished the meal with impossibly fruity strawberry and pineapple sorbets (also included in the price).
With three people, we ate until we were stuffed and had enough leftovers for lunch the next day for my boyfriend.
Definitely recommend this for duck lovers and for anyone who wants a fun, cheap dinner out with multiple, good courses. The atmosphere is no frills and pretty dank, but the service was friendly, funny, fast and nice. Very good.
When I die bury me in their BBQ. Scratch that, bury me in their BBQ while I am still alive so I have to eat my way out.
Through layers of honey pork; and moist marinated duck - what is up with that vinegar dipping sauce?? keep it coming!; strata of salted chicken (well, to be fair it is the dipping sauce for that little bird that makes it salty, on its own it is not salty, but still damn flavourful). And of course we would need to have some veggies layering in there: the chinese broccoli with oyster sauce is so simple but so good; the mixed veggies (off the main dishes area) is pretty tame and probably not a keeper. Seaweed egg drop soup is chock full of meat - was not expecting it but the saltiness of it all, with shrimp and beef and gobs of seaweed swimming in it was great. Luckily Kelly stopped us and made us order a small - we were already WAY over ordering for three people.
And what is probably greatest about the place is the warm atmosphere. We have a tendency to show up kind of late and order too much food and therefore are slow as all hell about it, but she gives us some time while they clean up and then has no trouble (politely) saying 'gotta go.' Which is fine with me, cuz left on my own I would probably try and move in; Noon-o-Kabab already rejected my offers to take up residence there, so I would hate to get turned down again.
Despite the appearance....we have been eating at this place for over 9 years. The duck is excellent and the ginger fish is amazing! although they do not have spring rolls, unless they might have added it recently.
I've been meaning to try this place for years. Actually I didn't know what "this place" was; what I should say is that I've been meaning to try "that place on Argyle with all the hanging ducks" for years. The last game I worked on as an artist took place in a Hong Kong marketplace; I took photos of this place as reference so I could get the hanging roasted ducks just right. It was my finest moment in the video game industry. Anyways, we finally tried it. Look, here's the deal: They got ducks in the window. Every Yelper seems to say "Try the duck!" So I'm not going in and asking them to whip up their finest Empress Chicken. The five stars I give it are based on the full Beijing Duck meal. It rocked my world, as well as that of my awesome friend I was eating with. It was enough for four but we decided to splurge. So, yeah, either get the duck or don't whine about your beef and broccoli.
The duck: perfectly crisp skin, perfectly succulent meat. Not a hint of gaminess. The duck drumstick from Sun Wah is like the Platonic archetype of a drumstick. All the courses are great - the skin and meat on a bun with veggies, the soup and the fried rice. Just ridiculously good.
If you don't call ahead, there is a bit of a wait for the full duck meal, but that's pretty typical. They have to chase the duck around with a cleaver, you see, and the duck has all sorts of clever ways of turning the tables on the furious, thick-skulled chef. No, wait, that was some cartoon I saw once.
Our waitress reminded me of a young Jennifer Tilly. Not that there's anything wrong with the current Jennifer Tilly! Stone fox at every stage of her career. She can hold my Texas anytime! I don't even know what that means.
HOLY DIVER DUDES AND DUDETTES, just get the damn $30 Peking Duck special. Make sure there are 4 of you. There were 2 of us. We came hungry and had leftovers. You get scallions and carrots and sliced duck to make sandwiches, AND duck fried rice AND duck soup! Soooo good. It takes some time so you may want to call ahead or make sure you BYOB some drinks. You can order an appetizer but you'll seriously feel dumb when the courses are served.
Friendly service. Casual space, diverse crowd.
Parking can blow around here. Make sure you got quarters!
I have heard about this place a few times and I was unable to go 2 times when my friends did so I had been looking for a way to get out here. Recently moved to the suburbs so it's become even harder, but my dad came into town and wanted to treat me and my cousins to a dinner. So I asked them if they wanted to have some Peking Duck. They agreed, and I mentioned to him it was around $30 bucks but really good. I will finish this story later.
Just an fyi, they do take reservations... I was able to call ahead and they reserved a table for me. Also, it might help if you mention you want the duck, so they can prepare that as well. I heard one duck is pretty good for 3-4 people so we went with that and some Indian lettuce which was pretty awesome. We got the standard duck, soup, rice, and some daikon/scallions/carrots.
Oh yeah, so to finish my story, my dad had thought I meant $30 per person when I initially talked about the place. So he was blown away when the total for 4 people came out to around $50.
Seriously, try this out if you haven't already.
I threw my going away dinner here because of the aforementioned experience. The duck was just as good as I remembered it, and my friends who got it couldn't believe how awesome it was (and how much food it was). We got two ducks, so two orders of soup and rice instead. Instead of rice, though, we got tasty noodles.
Ask for noodles as an option as well.. real delicious. Duck is $30 now.
My all time favorite dining experience in Chicago. Get the $28 Beijing Duck Special. Described… Read more »
20 Stars.
Stars 1-5 go to Amaliya and family for their gracious hosting of her birthday party. Class Act!
Stars 6-10 go to Xtie for organizing this Super Elite Summit and succeeding in having us all arrive more or less at the same time: John B., Erika G., Xtie and fam, Amaliya and fam, Mesum, Jerry M. and myself.
Stars 11-15 are for the food. The environs have the ambience of an operating room, but the food is so excellent it should yank any food patrician's nose right out of the air. I can't add more than Xtie, Erika, John and Amaliya have said here in their reviews.
Xtie G:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Erika G.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Amaliya L:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
John B.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Stars 16 - 20 go to Xtie's little guy, age three, who at one point in the evening quietly cracked me up because briefly, in a priceless moment, as he was banging his chopsticks in impatient, toddler syncopation, he was unwittingly playing an atonal, tabletop version of the opening bars of the Chinese National Anthem: "Chopsticks."
Before I could vocalize my observation and share the irony, his mom took the chopsticks away so he wouldn't poke himself or someone else in the eye.
Ever since I started to get a hard on, I knew my penis wasn't something that could be use to wow the opposite sex. It's tiny, it's crooked and it smells like sour milk.
What I'm trying to say is, my life sucks. But sometimes events take place that make me very proud to not only be alive but also knowing a group of great people in my life. One of those people had a birthday few days ago and I was invited!
I was excited AND was skeptic about this place. I walk in and see a counter full with fried duck with TONS of people buying them. Meat doesn't do anything for me so I'm thinking "let's hope their vegetarian/sea food is just as good". Damn, I should have wished for a mountain of gold or something just as big.
This is what I had within my quick 20 minute stop at this place:
Tea: 5 stars.
White Rice: 4 stars.
Shrimps: 5 stars.
Mixed vegetable: 5 stars.
AND
Drumroll please!!!!!
Fried DUCK! That's right, I broke my vow of no meat just to try the duck!
And I'm glad I did.
Duck: 5 stars.
I don't know the whole cost of meal thing since I took off before the bill arrived but I'm very sure it's much less than other places you have been to. Go there and try something new. Come back and send me a Thank You compliment.
I am TOTALLY laughing my ass off at Erika G.'s review (think she liked the duck?).
I had the wonderful fortune of dining here with the "Super Elites" for Amaliya's birthday, too and, as such, ate all the same wonderful yumminess described in Erika's review. But here are the things that really stood out for me:
1) The special shrimp with bacon appetizer was TO DIE FOR! I could've easily made a meal out of that alone (came close).
2) OMG! The Peking Duck! I LOVED the duck. GO HERE NOW for the duck. This is the BEST duck! The duck is amazing! Have I mentioned the duck?;) Seriously, though... Your server carves the bird table-side and arranges the meat on a plate for you and another person to assemble your duck buns (heh..heh heh). While they suggest one duck for every 2 people, I think the servers tend to underestimate how many people one duck will feed. Considering the buns, sauce, veggies and rice or noodles a $28 Peking duck come with, I think one can easily feed 4 people. That said...screw the rice (though it is good) GET THE NOODLES! Amy says they cook them in the duck fat and they are DELICIOUS! Mmmmm, good AND bad for ya! (I wonder if you can order duck noodles without the duck...MY GOD! What am I SAYING?!?!)
4) All the other food was very good (though I'd say stay away from the seafood combo - kinda bland). But, most notably, the portions are GINORMOUS! For $5 you get a giant heaping plate of food that, IMO, is enough for at least 2 meals.
3) The service is stellar. The young woman who took care of our large-ish party was patient, informative, funny, GREAT with our two 3 year-olds and an all-around good sport.
The only bad thing about Sun Wah is that the place is kind of a dump. However, if they're sacrificing ambiance for the pricing and quality of the food, HOORAY!
I cannot wait to go back here.
Okay, it's now OCTOBER.
WHEN ARE THEY RE-OPENING ALREADY IN THE NEW PLACE???
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